Pied-billed Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe has risen sharply: up 54% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Pied-billed Grebe
The Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) is a North American member of the Grebes (Podicipedidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 9–21.5 in long (23–55 cm) — a diving water bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 915 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 47 states, most concentrated in the Prairie Potholes.
- Family
- Podicipedidae · Wetland birds
Notable Pied-billed Grebe Trends
Pied-billed Grebe has risen sharply in surveyed states: up 54% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Pied-billed Grebe Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Pied-billed Grebe is projected to rise about 29% by 2029 — from 0.10 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.13 (95% range 0.07–0.19). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±41.6%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.13 | 0.06 | 0.19 |
| 2026 | 0.13 | 0.06 | 0.19 |
| 2027 | 0.13 | 0.06 | 0.19 |
| 2028 | 0.13 | 0.07 | 0.19 |
| 2029 | 0.13 | 0.07 | 0.19 |
Where the Pied-billed Grebe Is Detected
BBS routes recording Pied-billed Grebe, sized by most recent count.
Pied-billed Grebe Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -60% | 1972 | 12 |
| Alaska | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Arizona | +86% | 1992 | 9 |
| Arkansas | +185% | 1975 | 5 |
| California | +3% | 1971 | 97 |
| Colorado | -27% | 1974 | 35 |
| Connecticut | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Delaware | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Florida | -89% | 1968 | 51 |
| Georgia | +45% | 1984 | 10 |
| Idaho | -49% | 1974 | 16 |
| Illinois | -83% | 1970 | 13 |
| Indiana | -82% | 1968 | 13 |
| Iowa | +17% | 1973 | 13 |
| Kansas | -51% | 1976 | 11 |
| Kentucky | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Louisiana | +47% | 1988 | 26 |
| Maine | +62% | 1977 | 16 |
| Maryland | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Michigan | -93% | 1970 | 37 |
| Minnesota | +116% | 1969 | 65 |
| Mississippi | -23% | 1996 | 8 |
| Missouri | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Montana | -27% | 1972 | 36 |
| Nebraska | +46% | 1970 | 18 |
| Nevada | -57% | 1992 | 10 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| New Jersey | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| New Mexico | +39% | 1993 | 10 |
| New York | -8% | 1969 | 21 |
| North Carolina | -61% | 1975 | 4 |
| North Dakota | +143% | 1969 | 42 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oklahoma | insufficient data | n/a | 10 |
| Oregon | -43% | 1970 | 36 |
| Pennsylvania | -60% | 1975 | 9 |
| South Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| South Dakota | +26% | 1969 | 44 |
| Tennessee | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| Texas | -45% | 1969 | 54 |
| Utah | -80% | 1981 | 20 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Virginia | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Washington | -65% | 1973 | 43 |
| Wisconsin | -76% | 1968 | 45 |
| Wyoming | -85% | 1973 | 35 |
Pied-billed Grebe Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -44% | 1972 | 34 |
| Great Basin | -5% | 1970 | 87 |
| Northern Rockies | -39% | 1973 | 49 |
| Prairie Potholes | +141% | 1969 | 97 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -82% | 1969 | 57 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | +5% | 1969 | 13 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -42% | 1968 | 32 |
| Sierra Nevada | -65% | 1975 | 12 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +2% | 1972 | 35 |
| Badlands and Prairies | -85% | 1969 | 61 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -42% | 1977 | 25 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +69% | 1970 | 24 |
| Oaks and Prairies | -44% | 1969 | 13 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -61% | 1969 | 34 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -69% | 1968 | 70 |
| Central Hardwoods | -75% | 1975 | 10 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | -62% | 1981 | 8 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | +10% | 1975 | 20 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -48% | 1971 | 35 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -67% | 1969 | 21 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | -33% | 1974 | 10 |
| Peninsular Florida | -89% | 1968 | 41 |
| Coastal California | -14% | 1971 | 57 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +227% | 1979 | 14 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | -70% | 1992 | 4 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -21% | 1993 | 7 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | -70% | 1970 | 9 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | +554% | 1975 | 31 |
Pied-billed Grebe Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 54% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.